Wednesday, December 17, 2008

George W. Bush's Legacy

When you hear those words you probably either think of the war in Iraq or the economy. For most, these raise negative connotations to Bush's legacy, and rightly so on some accounts. Chances are most people don't talk about the Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). It's benefited millions in Africa.

Rick Warren interviewed George W. Bush about PEPFAR.Here are some interesting quotes.

Warren: "No man in history, no world leader, has done more for global health than President George W. Bush.”

Bush: We actually helped them develop the strategy, but when they develop the strategy, it’s easier to hold the strategy developer to account. It’s not all that profound. The United States believes that paternalism is destructive, and we believe partnership is constructive. That the basis of a lot of our foreign policy.

Bush: when you have somebody say, “There’s a pandemic that you can help,” and you do nothing about it, then you have frankly disgraced the office.

Michael Gerson: “In a crucial policy meeting about malaria, one person supported it. The President of the United States, shutting off debate with moral servitude that others have criticized. I saw how this moral framework led him to an immediate identification with the dying African child, the Chinese dissident, the Sudanese former slave, the Burmese women’s advocate, it’s one reason i’ll never be cynical about government or even President Bush.”

NY Times Article "In the Global Battle of Aids: “When they step back, even critics concede that Mr. Bush spawned a philosophical revolution. In one striking step, he put to rest the notion that because patients were poor or uneducated they did not deserve, or could not be taught to use, medicine that could mean the difference between life and death.”

It really is a good read and has a lot of topics on leadership, foreign policy, enabling the needy, and so forth...to read it click here